Jay Kumar

Brauer Tip: Forget Limits

(Bassmaster.com photo)

Denny Brauer still wins tourneys. So obviously he still fishes to win tourneys – which is different than fishing to do well. Here’s what he said about that in an entry on the Strike King website:

Many tournament fishermen lose tournaments because they set themselves up to lose. They make the decision to catch a limit of bass, regardless of the size of those bass.

They believe that if they can catch their limit first, then they can search for big bass and cull the little bass with big bass. If you have this thought process, you’ll often spend half the day trying to catch a limit of little bass before you even start looking for big bass, leaving you not much time to hunt for big bass.

When I leave the starting point in a tournament, I start searching for big fish immediately. I’m not worried about catching a limit, earning points for the Classic or going to the weigh-in with no fish. My sole purpose every day I fish in the tournament is to find and catch the biggest bass in the lake.

With this philosophy, I have a better chance to win a tournament because I have more time to fish for big bass than the competitors trying to catch their limits. When you employ this fishing strategy, you’ll increase your odds for winning.

Man, is that ever easier said than done. And I have to say is, when I start off in the morning I’m just like Denny: I’m not worried about earning points for the Classic….

Is there anyone out there at the weekend warrior level that actually fishes this way? Let us know. We might want to talk to that guy/gal….

2 Comments

2 Comments

  1. Chad Keogh

    July 22, 2011 at 5:19 pm

    When I fish a tournament, I go into it knowing roughly what size bass it will take to win. Some lakes 15 lb limits will do, others 20+ is needed.

    That said though, I`m always trying to catch the biggest fish possible, just with keeping my total weight needed in the back of my mind constantly.

  2. Bass Pundit

    July 23, 2011 at 4:56 pm

    I suspect this is the way Denny has always fished and it worked FOR HIM. Look at Denny’s son Chad who hasn’t come anywhere close to duplicating his fathers success. It might work well for a select few, but my guess is that the same philosophy has not worked for countless fishermen. Obviously there can only be 1 winner and in most circuits the number of events can be counted on two hands. I think the averages are better to fish for the best you think you can do with the minimum amount of risk on the downside. Do this and there is less chance you bomb, while it’s still possible to end up contending for the win if things fall into place. Think Jay Yelas this year on Kentucky Lake.

    Personally, I’m not a serious tournament fisherman and fish as a non-boater. Catching a limit is my #1 goal, thankfully here in MN that doesn’t mean you have to be all about finesse fishing.

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